Needle carinet and chart



Sept. 18, 1934. E. P. BYRNEs Er AL NEEDLE CABINET AND CHART Filed March l0. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet` l Iag.

NEEDLE MATCHING CHART Sept. 18, 1934. E. P. BYRNl-:s Er AL NEEDLE CABINET AND -CHART Filed Maeh 1.0. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 18, 1934 UNITE PATENT GFFICE NEEDLE CABINET AND CHART Application March l0, 1932, Serial No. 598,050

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a needle cabinet and chart and is particularly useful in the display and sale of sewing machine needles.

An object of the invention is to provide a dis- 5 play and sales cabinet in which packages of sewing machine needles may be orderly and compactly arranged, and in which needles of the desired type and size may be readily located by means of charts placed on the cabinet in convenient locations. Other objects and advantages w.ll

appeal' as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a cabinet and chart embodying'my invention; Fig. 2, a view in elevation of the rear side of said cabinet; Fig. 3, a sectional View ofthe cabinet with the cover closed, the section being taken as indicated at line 3 of Fig. 4; Fig. 4, a plan View of the interior of the cabinet, the cover being drawn back; Fig.

5, a broken enlarged plan View, the view being indicated by the dotted lines included Within bracket 5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6, a broken enlarged View, the view being indicated by the dotted lines included Within bracket 6 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. l to 6 inclusive, the numeral designates the bottom Wall of the 30 cabinet. Secured to the bottom wall is a front inclined wall 31, as shown more clearly in Fig.

3. The cabinet is also provided with a perpendicular rear Wall 32 and side walls 33 connecting the front wall 31 and rear wall 32. As shown 35 more clearly in Fig. 3, a front partition wall 34 and a mediate partition Wall 35 extend between the side walls 33 and divide the cabinet into two main compartments A and B.

Each of the compartments A and B is provided with an inclined floor 36, the rear end of which is adjacent the iloor 30 and the front end of which meets the partition wall at an intermediate point. The inclined oors 36 are slotted to receive the short partitions 37 which divide the of the main compartments, into a plurality of package compartments or tills C. A relatively wide retainer strip 38 extends across the rear portion of each of the compartments A and B. As

shown more clearly in Fig. 3, one of the retaining strips 38 extends over the rear wall 32 and over the major portion of compartment C. The other strip 38 extends over the intermediate partition 35 and the rear portion of compartment main compartments, or at least the front portion A. The tills C are of such dimensions as to receive snugly the needle packages D.

Hingedly secured to the partition 34 and front Wall 31 and preferably by means of a flexible hinge 39 is a cover 40. Secured to the inner side of the cover 40 is a paper sheet containng an interchangeable needle list designated by the letter E. On the outer side of cover 40 is secured a sheet bearing a machine needle chart or a needle-matching chart which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.l

The interchangeable needle list E contains the brand names of sewing machines and on the left of each name appearsv a number which serves as an index, as will be shown later, to designate the proper till or tills in which needles applicable to the particular machine may be found. The retaining strips or cross strips 38 are preferablyr equipped with paper strips 41 upon which appear numbers corresponding to the numbers on the interchangeable needle list E. Each of the numbers appearing on the paper strips 4l is aligned with a particular compartment or till C.

Not only is it necessary to find a needle having the desired shank conformationadapting it forv use in a specied machine, but also it is necessary for the seller to quickly nd such a needle having the desired eye size tting it for use with specified thread size or sizes. In the illustration given in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the compartment A is filled with packages containing needles adapted for use with 30-80 thread sizes, while the compartment B is lled with needles adapted for use with 40-100 thread sizes. As shown more clearly in the enlarged views 5 and 6, the paper strips 41 not only carryV the numerals corresponding to numerals in the interchangeable needle list, but also designate the thread sizes of the needles within the compartments C. It is preferred also to print upon the needle packages D the appropriate numeral and thread size by which its proper compartment may be learned. For example, a pack- `age bearing the numeral 4 and the thread size 30-80 will be placed promptly in compartment A and in the till designated by the numeral 4, and a package marked 2 and 40-100 thread will be placed Within compartment B and till 2. The needles may be arranged within the packages in any suitable manner. We prefer to place Within each package several needles, each having an eye for a different thread size. For example, one needle might bear on its shank the words 30-40 thread, while another needle bears the words 40-60 thread, and the third needle bears the Words -80 thread.

In the use of the interchangeable needle list, the trade name is first ascertained and the numeral to the left thereof is used as an index to nd the needles in compartments A and B which may be used in the particular machine. When the purchaser has designated the size of thread which she intends to use, the needle package Will be selected from the till designated by the number in either compartment A or B, according to the thread size desired.

A particular advantage in designating needle sizes by thread sizes is realized because the purchaser is quite familiar with the sizes of thread which she will use. Heretofore it has been customary for each manufacturer to indicate needle sizes by some arbitrary number or letter or name. It has therefore become very confusing to the purchaser, as well as to the vendor, in attempting to select needles of the various types with the proper eye size.

If a particular trade name does not appear upon the interchangeable needle list, or if the purchaser has forgotten the trade name, it is necessary to resort to the needle-matching chart F on the outer side of the cover 40. This chart represents an improvement upon the Boye Patent No. 838,945, of 1906.

The needle cabinets are usually stacked away upon shelves when not in use, merchandise of other kinds being placed upon the top cover of the cabinet. The wide longitudinal strips 38 which extend across the cabinet, supported by the side walls vthereof and the spaced partitions 37, buttre'ss the top cover 40 along a considerable portion of its Width and thus prevent the cover from yielding under the Weight of merchandise, etc. The wide retaining strips 38, in addition to reinforcing the cover 40, serve to retain the needle packages Within the cabinet. If the box should 'be tipped forwardly or backwardly, the strips preventthe needles from falling out of their respectivetills. `At the same time, the inclined floors of the tills permit the packages to be readily grasped and withdrawn without damaging the packages This is particularly advantageous in the handling of sewing machine needle packages because of the tendency of the needle Shanks to break through the paper package when handled to any extent. An opening is provided at the front of each of the tills affording finger room for the grasping of the needle packages.

The inclined front wall 31 of the cabinet bears a suitable identiication label 46, and likewise the rear wall 32 bears an identification label 4'?. As shown more clearly in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the use of an inclined front wall 31, a perpendicular rear wall 32, and a cover which is hinged adjacent the front wall 3l, enables the operator to employ the cabinet handily either upon the counter, with the front Wall 3l facing the customer, or upon the rear shelf with the rear wall 32 visible as a means of identifying the cabinet. In the use of the cabinet at either place, the hinged door opens away from the seller so that he can use the various charts readily and select the needles from the proper till. When the cabinet is on the counter, the inclined Wall 3l is readily visible to the customer standing thereabove, no shadow being thrown upon the label because of the inf clined wall. When the cabinet is upon the' shelf behind the counter, the label 47 is readily visible because it is carried by the perpendicular wall 32.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claim should beA 

